Displaying items by tag: Scott Mantz

“The Animated Series was the first real demonstration that Star Trek had a life beyond The Original Series. It was the beginning of a huge period of Trek merchandise and fan interest that eventually paved the way for the Trek movies and subsequent TV shows, and it was an Emmy-winning program that brought some of Trek's sophistication to Saturday morning.” — Jeff Bond, co-author of Star Trek: The Motion Picture—Inside the Art & Visual Effects

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first “sequel” show to Gene Roddenberry’s legendary 1960s science-fiction series.

For the occasion, The Bits has reached out to several Treksperts and animation authorities and even an original Trek writer, each of whom reflects on the series, its virtues, and where it stands in the Trek franchise. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, Bits readers! We’re back after the long 4th of July holiday here in the States with more reviews and announcements. As always, we’ll start with reviews...

Stuart has reviewed a pair of new Blu-ray titles, including Gregory La Cava’s Lady in a Jam (1942) and also Mervyn LeRoy’s Moment to Moment (1966) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stephen has checked in with his take on William Cameron Menzies’ Invaders from Mars (1953) on 4K Ultra HD from Ignite Films.

And Dennis has offered his look at Vincente Minelli’s The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Now then, in announcement news today, the big news is that our friends at Shout! and Scream Factory have just unveiled their September Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release slate, and—as always—there are some gems to report. [Read on here...]

First things first this afternoon: I posted a review here at The Bits yesterday of John Sturges’ 1969 spaceflight drama Marooned on all-region import Blu-ray from the good folks at Imprint Films. It’s definitely worth tracking down for fans.

And I’ll have more new reviews this week as well, including my take on Criterion’s For All Mankind in 4K, which will be posted here on The Bits tomorrow.

Now then, let’s get to the main event for today’s My Two Cents update...

Last night I had the privilege of attending the debut screening of Robert Wise’s 4K-remastered Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Edition at Paramount, some 21 years after attending the premiere of the 2001 DVD version in the same theater. And I’m thrilled to report that it’s absolutely spectacular. [Read on here...]

“As soon as Indy stepped out of the shadows in that first scene and revealed himself to us with that badass confidence and intensity, I feel like in that moment, Harrison Ford truly became a movie star of the highest order.” – Charles de Lauzirika, producer/director of Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective article commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Lucas & Spielberg action classic that introduced moviegoers to the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones and spawned a franchise of sequels, prequels, games, and theme park attractions.

Raiders, featuring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite cinematic archaeologist, was the most successful movie of its year of release and for a period of time the third highest-grossing motion picture of all time. The Oscar-winning movie also starred Karen Allen as heroine Marion Ravenwood, Paul Freeman as archvillain Belloq, Ronald Lacey as villain Toht, John Rhys-Davies as sidekick Sallah, and Denholm Elliott as colleague Marcus Brody.

In 1999 the Library of Congress selected Raiders of the Lost Ark for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” and earlier this year, Raiders and the other movies in the series were released for the first time on 4K UHD (reviewed here). [Read on here...]

“Star Trek: The Motion Picture provided a unique experience, leaving some audience members, myself included, elated at the prospect, “The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning.” — Robert Meyer Burnett

“I do feel very lucky to have been a kid while this amazing renaissance of fantasy filmmaking was going on.… Star Wars, then Close Encounters, then Superman, then Alien, then Star Trek: The Motion Picture… at least in terms of going to the movies, those are two-and-a-half years I wish I could experience again. It was a truly magical time.” — Mike Matessino  [Read more here...]